Chapter 240: Heaven Turns Upside Down

Numerous shadows that seemed insubstantial charged repeatedly against the body of the Taotie, only to dissipate instanteously. Yet, each time a light representing all things clashed with the massive creature, that abyss-like heaviness surrounding it would subtly weaken.

Indeed, all living beings may appear insignificant, but when gathered together at a single point, they can collectively wield the power to topple giants.

The world shines because of life, yet it’s also destroyed by it; what then of a single individual?

“Boom!!!!!!!!!!”

The colossal figure toppled slowly, accompanied by thunderous sounds akin to an earthquake.

Victory was decided.

Gazing at the battered form of the creature curled up on the ground, its breath no longer robust as before, and the once-falling Feathers of Destruction now ceased, the creature fell into a moment of silence, and a hint of contemplation flashed in its indifferent, golden-red eyes.

【Do you have anything else to say?】

However, the Taotie did not respond further, nor even lift its gaze, as if silently awaiting its fate.

【…Is that so.】

It raised the divine object in its hand, invoking the heavens.

【Sixth Punishment · Spirit Destruction】

An invisible light descended, piercing into the body of the now utterly defenseless giant beast, whose abyss-like deep eye gradually lost its color.

But the Taotie, being the Taotie, possessed divine power despite not being a god; even so, it did not die immediately. Instead, it gazed upward at the radiant deity floating above, almost blinding to behold, as if through this deity it could see another similar yet different figure.

A somewhat weakened thought echoed amidst heaven and earth.

【Vilyric, that’s your name, right?】

【Yes.】

【You resemble it, yet you are not it… very interesting.】

【Are you dying and still unwilling to speak clearly?】

【Hehe…】

The already weakened giant beast made several faint, incomprehensible laughs, showing little concern for its impending death.

【The World Sustainer will not disappear; death is not my end. But if you wish for this world to persist in this form, then continue onward.】

【If it’s you, if it’s yours, perhaps…】

The giant beast finally closed its eyes, and its form gradually dissolved into countless specks of light. This was not due to natural laws, but because the 【Divine Punishment】 had thoroughly dismantled all that composed its existence from all angles, even the centuries-old power of destruction had been purified away, eliminating the slightest possibility of reassembly.

【…】

Amidst the dazzling points of light where the chaotic beast once stood, the Radiant Spirit also slowly faded. It closed its eyes, reining in the surge of power brought by Holy Light, and when it opened them again, its shimmer returned to a silver-blue hue.

“In the end, you still weren’t willing to speak clearly; will the Sustainer not die completely…?”

In truth, Vilyric could understand the meaning of these words to some extent.

Long ago, she had heard tales of the totem of the 【Twilight Council】, about the 【World-devouring Serpent】. Similar to the Taotie, it too possessed immense power that rivaled true gods, having waged wars against the deities of the primordial land more than once.

However, the most troublesome aspect of the 【World-devouring Serpent】 was not its power, but its inability to be completely killed; it endlessly resurrected. After realizing this through repeated battles, the gods chose to seal it as a response strategy.

Although Vilyric didn’t know the current status of that serpent, it seemed that the previous travelers like Min Chen and various mythological beings were merely contending over one of its corpses, unsure of its significance. Yet, it was evident that it bore many similarities to the Taotie.

Furthermore, the latter had repeatedly emphasized the【World Sustainer】—a term that this priestess had never heard before, stating its sequence as 7.

Since there’s a 7, naturally, there must be 6 to 1. Given the strong similarities, was there a possibility that the 【World-devouring Serpent】 also belonged to this sequence or was related to this group?

Logically, it made complete sense, but unfortunately, this riddle-loving fellow was reluctant to disclose too much information… how annoying.

Oh well.

Regardless of whether the Taotie could resurrect like the World-devouring Serpent or not, such a potent individual couldn’t just pop into existence from nowhere; at least this one had been undeniably slain by the priestess—Vilyric was certain of that.

【Divine Punishment】 was a special skill exclusive to 【Destruction Mode】, its limits even Vilyric was uncertain of. However, she could currently execute a total of seven punishments, each stronger than the last—a final attack that could utterly erase the soul, decimating the enemy from all meanings and perspectives.

The damage of 【Divine Punishment】 was fairly fixed and influenced little by Vilyric’s own attributes. Excluding the time she’d spent casting numerous enhancement spells on herself and using potions, this was the strongest attack she could unleash in her game.

If she couldn’t take down the Taotie with this, the priestess would have to draw upon abilities like God Realm, which she hadn’t fully mastered, but thankfully, the chaotic beast was not that troublesome, and merely six punishments sufficed to defeat it.

However, this meant that Vilyric would not be able to actively enter 【Destruction Mode】 for a while—hopefully, no such troublesome enemies would appear again.

The Taotie lacked a Divine Spark, but its level had likely genuinely reached lv100; even Xiao Guang, facing it one-on-one, might not ensure a stable win.

Speaking of which, this was the first time Vilyric encountered beings like Little Dragon Daughter and Snow Wing, who had no Divine Spark or God Realm but could break through the lv80 hard limit and enter divine domains. If possible, the priestess rather wanted to engage in a proper dialogue with this chaotic beast.

Returning to the desolate, silent wasteland—now devoid of anything except yellow sand—the Black-haired Girl looked around.

The initial flurry of falling Feathers of Destruction had long vanished; it seemed the Taotie was the absolute core of this world’s destructive power. Even its mere aura affected the surrounding environment, so with its demise, calamity naturally settled.

In other words, the demonic chaos from a thousand years ago was triggered by the Taotie’s arrival in this world, leading to a series of subsequent changes; it wasn’t the destructive force that shaped the chaotic beast but rather the Taotie that was the root of all 【Destruction】 and the evil of the Ancient Spirit Realm.

But… it shouldn’t have the power to send all the gods to their graves. This means behind the Taotie, some even more terrifying and indescribable power exists.

“Phew… No matter what, this should be settled, right? There’s no way a third chaotic beast would pop up…”

It’s not like they’re handing them out wholesale.

I wonder how Xiao Kong and Hen are doing; speaking of which, what’s up with this world that feels like the past yet seems completely parallel to the Ancient Spirit Realm? How can I leave?

Just as the priestess pondered these things, a shimmering silver portal slowly opened amidst the space not far from her, gently swaying.

Oh, that feels familiar!

Though its sudden appearance was a bit odd, isn’t it common for a return portal to open after defeating a big boss?

Just as she was about to step into the clearly connected portal, Vilyric suddenly recalled something, a strange expression surfacing on her brow.

“I feel like this scene is a bit familiar… It wouldn’t teleport me to some bizarre place again, would it…?”

Muttering her thoughts, she dove headfirst into the doorway.

The surroundings swiftly shifted amidst the sensation of teleportation, and a few seconds later, the sky brightened anew, the distinct aura of the Ancient Spirit Realm returned to Vilyric’s senses.

A tall, silver crystal barrel reflected the girl’s face, untouched by dust; however, Xiao Kong and Ming Lian Xin, who were supposed to be here maintaining the seal, were nowhere to be found. The singularities transformed from the portals handled by the Ancient Spirit Realm warriors still existed, though about a third of them had vanished into thin air.

The disappearance of the portals indicated that the demons inside had been eradicated, while the remaining portions probably signified ongoing battles or…

Vilyric looked around.

“It’s morning; has at least a second day passed? It seems there’s a discrepancy in the flow of time between inside and outside. Given that logic, the Immortal Island should be approaching…”

Just then, a monumental shadow suddenly swooped down from the heavens, blocking the noon sun and plunging the land into darkness.

The priestess instinctively looked up.

Caught in a moment of daze.

It felt absurd, as though witnessing a scene from an ancient warrior duel, where one party suddenly pulled a Desert Eagle from their pants and executed a flashy move to claim victory. The girl couldn’t suppress the murmur that slipped from her lips.

“Hey, hey, what is… this thing?”

   

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